SB Nation Pittsburgh - South Florida Vs. West Virginia: Mountaineers Drop Bulls 56-46 In Ugly Gamehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48827/pitt-fv.png2011-01-23T17:07:44-05:00http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/rss/stream/17155002011-01-23T17:07:44-05:002011-01-23T17:07:44-05:00South Florida Vs. West Virginia: 'Eers Outlast Bulls For Sluggish Win
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<p>Well that ... happened. The West Virginia Mountaineer basketball team came out today and did just enough to beat South Florida 56-46. The crowd was listless, the team was listless and the game was pretty boring. The Mountaineers posted their lowest point total of the year and won a game by ten points without playing very well. The Cliff's Notes version:</p>
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<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101435/casey-mitchell">Casey Mitchell</a>, the rebounder. Hell of a game from Casey who had a double-double with 13 points and 14 boards. Amazing. He hustled on offense and defense and turned in one of his better all around games, despite not lighting up the scoreboard as has in the past. He struggled shooting the ball, only hitting 1 of 5 3-point attempts, instead he attacked the basket and had a lot of putback opportunities. If Mitchell can score inside and from mid-range, hit long shots will start opening up and then he can get deadly.</li>
<li>At the point guard, Truck Bryant played pretty well on defense, but couldn't get anything going on offense. He shot a paltry 2 of 9, and his seven misses were a barrage of ill-advised possession killing jumpers. Bryant has to start making the players around him better. He just ... doesn't. There's a moment in seemingly every possession where it becomes obvious that Truck's not coming off the ball. That terrifies me.</li>
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<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101437/danny-jennings">Danny Jennings</a> didn't play and wasn't on the bench in what Huggins called after the game an "inexcusable absence." He also intimated that it may be the last we've seen of Jennings. That would be a big loss, because you always had to feel that he was going to get it together eventually. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101439/deniz-kilicli">Deniz Kilicli</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/26351/cam-thoroughman">Cam Thoroughman</a> both played admirable games against Gus Gilchrist, who is among the best the conference has to offer. That's refreshing, but the Mountaineers have to have depth going into the meat of the Big East schedule. Right now, they can go nine, max. That's a foreboding sign.</li>
<li>I have a theory that the reason for the small and distracted crowd, and listless play on the court, was a result of the nervousness about the impending Steelers game. I know that I'm in that camp. I'm going to focus on football now, see you midweek as the Mountaineers travel to Louisville to duke it out with Rick Pitino's crew.</li>
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https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/1/23/1951981/south-florida-vs-west-virginia-eers-outlast-bulls-for-sluggish-winAaron Hawley2011-01-23T11:44:26-05:002011-01-23T11:44:26-05:00South Florida Vs. West Virginia: Mountaineers Return To Big East Play For Match-Up With The Bulls
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/west-virginia-mountaineers">West Virginia Mountaineers</a> take the court at the WVU Coliseum this afternoon to face off against Big East bottom feeders, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/south-florida-bulls">South Florida Bulls</a>. The Mountaineers are looking to bounce back from their no good awful very bad Wednesday night at the Charleston Civic Center with a decisive victory against a bad team. West Virginia experimented with a week out of conference, and it was agony and ecstasy. After beating a top ten Purdue team to vault the 'Eers into the Top 25, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/marshall-thundering-herd">Marshall Thundering Herd</a> caught the 'Eers in the ultimate trap game, a foul-laden affair which resulted in the Mountaineers playing their worst basketball of the season. This afternoon (as an undercard for the AFC Title Game) things look to get back to normal in Morgantown. What I'm watching:</p>
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<li>WVU squeaked by the Bulls last year in Morgantown, but with Dominique Jones gone, this team isn't as good as that one. Led by Gus Gilchrist, South Florida has struggled mightily this season, owning only one conference win. The Bulls have lost to all sorts of teams this season and West Virginia will look to capitalize on a slumping team. Gilchrist and fellow big man <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100053/jarrid-famous">Jarrid Famous</a> give the Bulls a physical presence that will force West Virginia's trio of Kevin Jones, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101439/deniz-kilicli">Deniz Kilicli</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101437/danny-jennings">Danny Jennings</a> into playing tough in the paint. Kilicli has been coming on strong offensively, but his own defensive liabilities kept him off the court in crunch time against Marshall. I'd like to see the Turk keep making strides on D.<br>
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<li>I feel like a broken record writing these game previews sometimes, but when it comes to talking about the Mountaineers, it comes to talking about offense. Namely the overwhelming desire of some 'Eers to not run it. West Virginia has struggled to get good offensive sets, and the Marshall game was dictated by aimless turnovers and missed opportunities to score. While West Virginia has the talent to beat the Bulls playing sloppy, I would much rather see some smart play. The truth is, West Virginia just doesn't have a guy who can do it alone. The offense has to set somebody up to score, whether it be <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101435/casey-mitchell">Casey Mitchell</a>, Kevin Jones, Truck Bryant or <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/26363/john-flowers">John Flowers</a>. These guys need an opening to score and right now they can't do it without making crisp cuts and sharp passes. If they slack on either, the looks just won't be there.</li>
<li>The Big East schedule is a long one, and right now WVU has miles to go to become a tourny lock. Part of getting that done is winning the games you should, especially on your home court. West Virginia has a great opportunity to pick up thier fourth Big East win today and they need to take advantage of that. The next week holds a mid-western road-trip to #15 Louisville and back to Huggins' old stomping ground in Cincinnati. To split that trip would be considered a win, so WVU needs to establish itself as two games above .500 today. That gives them the breathing room to not make both road games' "must wins". I'd tell you what lies ahead on the schedule after that road trip but, to be honest, I just don't want to talk about it. Too scary.<br>
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<p>I'll be back postgame to offer my thoughts. I'm off to the Coliseum where I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon wondering about how the Steelers will deal with the Jets' pass rush....</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2011/1/23/2328523/south-florida-vs-west-virginia-mountaineers-return-to-big-east-playAaron Hawley